After the two-hour long meeting at County Hall in Truro, for which he flew especially from the Isles of Scilly, he said: "I'm delighted with the unanimous vote. It's encouraging and nice to see Cornwall Council support us and recognise how important it is to help support the islands' infrastructure.

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Despite concerns over noise and health impacts the new helicopter might create in Penzance, as well as concerns over Sunday flying, the project was given the green light by council planners.

Derek Thomas, the MP for St Ives, which covers Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, welcomed the news: "If it had been rejected it would have had a serious impact on growth for Penzance and the islands.

"This decision is positive for the whole area. Penzance has been struggling there is no doubt about it so this will help revitalise the town."

An artist's impression of how the Penzance heliport could look if approved and built

Penzance East councillor Tim Dwelly, who has been in favour of the heliport, said during the debate that having a heliport in town was part of Penzance's DNA and its demise almost a decade ago had led to a 40% drop in tourist visiting the area.

After the council meeting he said: "Hopefully we can now move on and invest in jobs and the future of both Penzance and the Isles of Scilly."

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Dick Cliffe, mayor of Penzance, welcomed the decision and added: "This decision shows that the councillors had a full understanding of the issues and recognised the strategic and positive impact the heliport will have on the Isles of Scilly and on Penzance."

The chairman of the Isles of Scilly Council, Robert Francis, also threw the island’s support behind the project, and added that it was what islanders wanted.

A helicopter operated by BIH touches down at Penzance heliport before the service to the Isles of Scilly closed in 2012.

He told a recent public meeting that the islands' council was very much in favour of the heliport.

Both Cllr Dwelly and Mr Dorrien-Smith said any future appeal by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, the main opponent and competitor to the heliport, would not be well received by the community.

Cllr Dwelly said all that was left for the company was a judicial review.

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Following the strategic planning committee meeting, Stuart Reid, chief operating officer with the Steamship Group, remained tight-lipped as to what the company would do next.

A statement released this afternoon by the ISSG said: “We note the outcome of the Strategic Planning Committee and will comment in due course once we have had the opportunity to review in detail the committee’s deliberations and decision.”

Not everyone was unanimously in favour of the heliport.

Opponent Dr Mark Russell said it was a disappointing decision.

He added: "The health and noise concerns were not taken into consideration. We asked for a serious study into their impact to be carried out but that was not done. Cornwall council has a statutory obligation to weigh up the benefits and risks. It was mindful of the benefits, but not interested in the risks."